Portuguese Navy Rank Flags

I’m posting images of the rank flags used by rear admirals and vice admirals
of the Portuguese Navy. Doubtless because of the long relationship between Portugal
and Britain, these flags are similar to those used by the Royal Navy. The principal
point of difference, besides the green colour of the cross, is the size and placement
of the red disks in the first and third cantons. They are larger than those used in
the British flags, and are set nearer to the hoist.

My source is a U.S. Navy poster dating from the 1970s which shows the various flags
used by European navies. I thought that the grass-green color for the cross was an
odd touch in view of the fact that the green useed for the national flag of Portugal
is much darker, but that’s what the chart showed.

The source is twenty years old, so it is possible, I suppose, that these flags are
out of date. I don’t really think so, however, since Portuguese flags in general
haven’t changed since the early 1900s, when the republic replaced the monarchy.

Tom Gregg, 27 Jan 1997

Some time ago I posted a couple of Portugese Navy rank flags. Since then I’ve
gathered additional information in these flags, primarily from old editions of
Jane’s Fighting Ships (which used to illustrate
naval flags of each nation). This book is not entirely reliable (showing, for
example, that the rank emblems in these flags are green, whereas my DoD flag chart
shows the vice admiral’s flag with a red ball) but it does show the general designs.
All of these flags are based on the same white-field-with-green-cross design.

The illustrations I have seen show that the rank emblems are set towards the hoist
(and towards the fly for the red ball in the fourth quarter of the "flag officer
afloat" flag).

These flags are obviously based on the British system but due to the small size of
the Portugese Navy there is no “admiral of the fleet” rank and the only two full
admirals are the chief of staff and the fleet commander, who have individual,
distinctive flags. The "flag officer inspecting" flag is presumably hoisted when
some busybody from the headquarters pays a visit and the "flag officer afloat" flag
seems to be used when an admiral is on board ship merely as a passenger.

Some of these flags may now be obsolete and I’d be interested to hear if anyone has
updated information.

Tom Gregg, 10 Feb 1997

It seems that the Portugese Navy has changed its rank flags to conform even more
closely to the British system, for example, the use of the plain white flag with green
cross (which I have already posted as the "flag officer inspecting’s" flag) for full
admirals, plus the same flag with the state arms in the first quarter for fleet
admirals. I’m presuming from Ivan Sache's posts that the chief of naval staff’s and flag
officer afloat’s flags are now obsolete since he didn’t mention them. I imagine,
though, that the navy minister’s flag is still valid (strictly speaking, this is not
a naval rank flag anyway).Tom Gregg, 10 Feb 1997

Navy Minister

2:3 image by Mark Sensen and António Martins-Tuválkin, 5 June 1997

The Minister for the Navy has a white flag with a green cross of Saint George, with the Arms in the centre.Mark Sensen, 5 June 1997

Commander-in-Chief of the Fleet

2:3 image by Tom Gregg, 10 Feb 1997

Generic design with a red cross patty voided white in the first quarter.Tom Gregg and Ivan Sache, 10 Feb 1997